Prior art automatic banknote depositing apparatus of this kind differ quite considerably in design and in their method of operation. Thus, the design of the apparatus is contingent on the intended operational mode of the apparatus, i.e. whether the apparatus is to be used for (a) depositing banknotes manually; (b) depositing banknotes etc. with the aid of cassettes; or (c) whether it is intended for use by the general public; or (d) by bank and post office personnel; which, in the main, renders the handling of banknotes more expensive and more complicated.
It is previously known to construct automatic banknote depositing apparatus which incorporate transport means for transporting banknotes from an infeed or deposit opening to a cassette, which is locked mechanically and electronically and opened subsequent to being deposited in the apparatus, and then again locked and sealed when withdrawn from the apparatus. Such automatic banknote depositing apparatus are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,045,017 and 4,283,097.
When feeding sheets from a bundle of sheets it is known to bring pressure means to bear against the bundle in a manner such as to feed the sheets correctly irrespective of whether said sheets (banknotes) are new, old, worn, thin or thick. This is achieved by consciously controlling movement of the pressure means in dependence on distances in space or time between sequentially dispensed sheets, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,251.
When depositing and dispensing banknotes through automatic cash dispensing or depositing apparatus, it is important that checks can be made to ensure that two banknotes are not dispensed or deposited at the same time and also that the banknotes concerned are genuine, i.e. not forgeries. An example of automatic apparatus incorporating doublefeed control is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,253. A large number of photo-cell controlled apparatus are available for banknote authenticity checks, these apparatus operating by passing light through the banknotes or sensing light reflected therefrom, and are adapted, or can be adapted to the banknotes of different countries and for different characteristic signatures of the banknotes concerned, such as the watermark in the banknote, metal filaments incorporated therein, distinguishing colour combinations etc..